A band that helps youngsters get their first taste of playing a musical instrument and a popular nature reserve were among the organisations that will share a £6,490 community grant in Derbyshire thanks to the Central England Co-operative Community Dividend Fund.

Five groups, organisations and charities shared the payout, with a total of over £44,000 handed out to 36 good causes across 16 counties.

Visitors to Willington Nature Reserve will soon be able to take in everything from ducks to dragonflies all year round after the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust was awarded £2,000 to pay for a brand new log cabin. The building will be used as an all-weather, visitor information centre.

“As a charity that gets no guaranteed income, every penny really does count for us. The money will enable us to provide an indoor education and community centre at our Willington reserve.

“This former gravel quarry in the Trent Valley is teeming with bird life all year round, from ducks in winter to sand martins and common terns in summer. Dragonflies and damselflies are plentiful here too.

“With lots of viewing platforms and a feeding station this reserve already attracts many members of the public – the funding will help us to ensure that many more people engage with nature and protect it for future generations.”

Dozens of groups in Wirksworth who benefit from the parish hall, in St Mary’s Gate, will soon be enjoying new tables and chairs following a donation of £1,140.

Fusion Space, a not-for-profit organisation that supports children and families living in deprived areas, will use £500 to support a range of physical activity, art and music workshops in Alvaston.

Edward Nkwelle said: “We know that there are many children and young people locally who are not able to partake in a wide range of activities mainly because they are not affordable.

“This grant will change all that because it offers equal access for participants to partake in enjoyable sports and arts activities.

“Most of the children who we work with say they are now looking forward to an exciting summer.”

Youngsters in Chesterfield and north east Derbyshire will soon be able to get their first taste of learning to play music after £1,250 was handed to Ireland Colliery Chesterfield Band to buy plastic instruments. This forms part of a scheme aimed at getting children interested in playing brass instruments in a cost-effective manner.

Ian Davey, from the band, said: “We are delighted to be awarded funding from the Central England Cooperative Community Dividend Fund towards our primary school’s project. The money will allow us to purchase a number of innovative plastic instruments to take into local primary schools and enthuse youngsters to start playing a brass instrument

“Ireland Colliery Chesterfield Brass band will also offer free start-up tuition to students as part of the longer term aim to build a Junior Band to serve Chesterfield and Staveley.”

Members of Derby Co-operative Bowls Club will use £1,600 to pay for a lifesaving defibrillator, which will be available for use by the club and the local community in an emergency.

Grants of between £100 and £5,000 are handed out every three months to a wide range of applicants.

The fund guarantees that at least one per cent of the Society’s trading profit is reinvested in local communities in a bid to help projects to thrive across its trading area of 16 counties from the Midlands to the east coast.

Central England Co-operative Store Manager Paul Barrett said: “We are delighted that these great projects and good causes have been handed a grant for the fantastic work they do in the community.

“Community Dividend Fund grants like this showcase how by being a member and shopping at your local Central England Co-op store allows us as a Society to continue to invest and fund vital projects in the area.”

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.

Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence. The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to member activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.